Review: Heart of a Samurai, by Margi Preus

T


HEART OF A SAMURAI
Margi Preus
Amulet Books,  
August 27, 2012
HC, 304 pp, $15.95
978-0-810989818










HEART OF A SAMURAI  is as close to a Perfect Storm adventure for the YA audience as you can get. The Newbery Honor novel is based on the life of Manjiro, a shipwrecked and stranded fourteen year old boy who lived in Japan in the 19th century. In the story, Manjiro and four companions are stranded on an island off the coast of Japan. Desperate, scared and faced with a vague and tenuous fate, the serendipitous passing of the whaling ship, the John Howland renders their rescue possible. There is no chance that the ship will take them back home. In 1841 Japan is a closed country, the borders are sealed to all coming and going. No foreigners were allowed to enter, and returning countrymen could face harsh repercussions, imprisonment and possibly death. The boys fear the sailors are barbarians as they have never encountered western people and their behavior often shocks them. Ironically, the Americans view the Japanese boys with equal mistrust and fear. Fortunately for Manjiro, he is befriended by the captain. When Captain Whitfield witnesses the boy’s keen, savvy and quick response to an emergency, he decides to teach him the whaling trade. Upon their return to Massachusetts, he is adopted by the captain and his future looks bright. He embraces the dangerous life whaling as he journeys the high seas, but his dream of becoming a samurai appears beyond his reach. How could a fisherman’s son ever hope to be one of the chosen samurai? HEART OF A SAMURAI is full of adventure, mystery, historical facts and page turning drama. The character’s personalities are genuine, warm with a few crusty edged sailors thrown in. Preus provides historical facts, glossary and extensive bibliography for further reading. The reader becomes witness to whaling scenes including the Nantucket Sleighride guaranteed to be memorable and heart stopping. Manjiro told his story in four books that were published in 1852, a valuable resource for Margi Preus when writing her book. HEART OF A SAMURAI is a whopping whale of a tale, wrapped around the history of Japanese and American world trade and cultural relations. Suitable for upper elementary, middle school and above.


Wisteria Leigh
January 6, 2013

DISCLOSURE: THE COPY OF HEART OF A SAMURAI WAS PURCHASED BY WISTERIA. THE REVIEW IS THE REVIEWERS CANDID OPINION.


© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2008-2013].

The Eternal Ones, by Kirsten Miller

THE ETERNAL ONES
by Kirsten Miller
Razorbill, Penguin Group(August 10, 2010)
432 pages
ISBN 9781595143082
Ages 12 and up
$17.99/$22.50

Synopsis from the bookcover:

Haven Moore has always lived in a tiny town of Snope City, Tennessee. But for as long as she can remember, Haven has experienced visions of a past life as a girl named Constance, whose love for a boy called Ethan ended in fiery tragedy.
One day, the sight of notorious playboy Iain Morrow on television brings Haven to her knees. Haven flees to New York City to find Iain an there, she is swept up in an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous.

My thoughts:

The Eternal Ones arrived in my mailbox on Friday. I sometimes peruse through books I receive for review just to get a sense of the book. When I read the first few paragraphs, I became engrossed, planted in my chair for hours. The skeptic in me says there is no such thing as love at first sight. The woman in me says perhaps there truly is. With my daily schedule put on hold, I was held captive by this romantic suspense. Kirsten Miller creates the perfect mystery with surprise twists in this tantalizing story that keeps the reader engaged, crazy with curiosity. A menagerie of memorable characters offer just the right humor to move this story forward at breath-catching speed. With refreshing originality, this YA novel will no doubt slip quickly to the top of booklists everywhere. Lends well for sequel possibilities. Don’t miss it!

About the author from the bookjacket:

Kirsten Miller grew up in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina, At seventeen, she hit the road and moved to New York City, where she lives to this day. Kirsten is the author of the acclaimed Kiki Strike books, which tell the tale of the delinquent girl geniuses who keep Manhattan safe.

In a Nutshell:

My rating: Very good-excellent-(quick enjoyable suspenseful)
First time reading this author: Yes
Chances I would read more by this author: High

Disclosure: The copy of this book was sent to me by Penguin Young Readers Group. My review is my honest opinion without bias.


© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2010].

Review-The Prince of Mist, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

THE PRINCE OF MIST
by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Little, Brown and Company
$17.99/$21.99 Can; 200 pages
ISBN 13 : 978-0-316-04477-6
On Sale: 5/4/2010
Age 12 & up

Synopsis:

"In 1943, Max Carver's father - a watchmaker and inventor - decides to move his family to a small town on the coast, to an abandoned house that holds many secrets and stories of its own. Behind the house Max discovers an overgrown garden surrounded by a metal fence topped with a six-pointed star. In the centre is a large statue of a clown set in another six-pointed star.

As the family settles in they grow increasingly uneasy: Max’s sister Alicia has disturbing dreams while his other sister, Irina, hears voices whispering to her from an old wardrobe. With his new friend Roland, Max also discovers the wreck of a boat that sank many years ago in a terrible storm. Everyone on board perished except for one man - an engineer who built the lighthouse at the end of the beach.

As they learn more about the wreck, the chilling story of a legendary figure called the Prince of Mist begins to emerge..."

Review:

Carlos Ruiz Zafón wastes no time prepping the reader for doom. From the onset, when Max arrives in the village where they will live, he notices several oddities, a clock at the station ticks backward not forward. A black cat lands in his little sister’s lap. When she convinces her parents they should keep it, the cats piercing black slitted yellow eyes appear to follow challenge Max. Then, he sees the shape of a black ship, a mirage that disappears over the horizon as he looks out over the water. Zafón easily teases you into the story like a cat and mouse game and you can’t escape the taunt.

When Maximillian Carver opens the front door to their new home....

“a musty smell wafted out through the opening like a ghost that had been trapped between the walls for many years.” (18)

This can’t be good. As they all stand aghast at the dust and film that coats all the surfaces, the cat charges in and according to Alicia, unlike everyone else, appears to like it. Evil lurks everywhere. Mysterious black misty shapes, voices, and a statue that looks like a clown but is anything but.

As I have come to expect in anything written by this author, his imagery is pure word artistry as he leaves no doubt what he sees is what you see. Take for instance this passage:

“Max could hear the storm creeping in behind him, its shadow casting a gloomy shroud over the surface of the road. He turned around briefly and caught a glimpse of the darkness clawing at his back. In just a few minutes the sky changed into a vault of lead and the sea took on a metallic tint like mercury. The first flashes of lightening were accompanied by gusts of wind that propelled the storm in from the sea.” (42)

Written for age twelve and up, this will fly off the shelves in bookstores and libraries. As I said in my previous post, Zafon wrote for young adults before his international best selling Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game. Reluctant readers will embrace this adrenaline releasing rush of horror. Already a favorite author of mine, there is no doubt that Zafón will command a YA audience with the enthusiasm equal to his adult audience. The Prince of Mist is chilling enough to caution readers they may have to cover there eyes, or at least leave the lights on.

My thoughts:

I couldn't help but relate to Max as he was forced to move to a new place, meet new friends and face having to attend a new school. My father's job took my family to many new places, where saying goodbye and starting over was never easy. Making new friends and learning to fit in was both good and bad. I like to look at my glass as half full, so, looking back these experiences while often difficult were never the less memories that I wouldn't trade for the world. However, my childhood imagination was often on high alert and reminds me of Max's world in The Prince of Mist.

Click for a chance to win a copy of The Prince of Mist.


Disclosure: This book was sent to me for review by Little Brown and Company. My honest opinion has been given in this review without bias.




©2010, Wisteria Leigh, Bookworm's Dinner

Book Giveaway-The Prince of Mist, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Another great book giveaway! I can't believe I actually have four copies of The Prince of Mist, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón to raffle off. I couldn't wait to read this book. When I spoke to the publisher, she generously offered four copies to give away. If you have ever read my header, one of my favorite quotes appears under my blog title. It is from one of my very favorite books, Shadow of the Wind. Before his internationally best selling book Shadow of the Wind, and his recent best seller, The Angel Game, were published, he wrote YA literature. The Prince of Mist was actually his first novel.

I just finished The Prince of Mist and it is an adrenaline releasing read, an evil ghostly mystery for young adults. Adults will want to read this one too, especially if you are a fan of Zafón's gifted writing talent. I will have a review shortly, in the meantime check out his website and then leave a comment below for a chance to win one of the copies in this giveaway.


Here is the synopsis from Zafón's killer website.

"In 1943, Max Carver's father - a watchmaker and inventor - decides to move his family to a small town on the coast, to an abandoned house that holds many secrets and stories of its own. Behind the house Max discovers an overgrown garden surrounded by a metal fence topped with a six-pointed star. In the centre is a large statue of a clown set in another six-pointed star.

As the family settles in they grow increasingly uneasy: Max’s sister Alicia has disturbing dreams while his other sister, Irina, hears voices whispering to her from an old wardrobe. With his new friend Roland, Max also discovers the wreck of a boat that sank many years ago in a terrible storm. Everyone on board perished except for one man - an engineer who built the lighthouse at the end of the beach.

As they learn more about the wreck, the chilling story of a legendary figure called the Prince of Mist begins to emerge..."

By the way, the author's website is a treasure of surprise with trailers, audio readings by the author and soundtracks. Here is a link to the Prince of Mist page of fun stuff. It really is fun to explore. My favorite page is listed as his top ten, but is actually in his words, "A list of random stuff that cheers me up." I really like that idea, I may have to include a page like that on my blog.

With much gratitude I thank Little Brown, The Hachette Group for my review copy and the four copies for this promotion.

Contest Rules:

Contest ends on July 31, 2010.

Contestants must be from the US and provide an email address for notification.

Comment why you would like to win this book. (one chance)

Tweet about the contest. (one chance)

Become a follower of Bookworms Dinner. (one chance) Mention this contest on your blog. (two chances)

Tuesday Teasers June 15, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read. Open to a random page.
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



Karen Cushman is one of my favorite YA historical fiction writers. She won a Newbery Award for The Midwife's Apprentice and her latest book has me hooked again. Her characters are always so rich and plausible. Meggy Swann is a hoot and she has arrived in London after being summoned by her dad, an alchemist. She is a crippled child who teeters as she walks using sticks. Her friend and companion is a white goose, also lame.


"Even so, the streets were gloomy, with tall houses looming on either side, rank with the smell of fish and the sewage in the gutter, slippery with horse droppings, clamorous with church bells and the clatter of cart wheels rumbling on cobbles. London was a gallimaufry of people and carts, horses and coaches, dogs and pigs, and such noise that made Meggy's head, accustomed to the gentle stillness of the country village, ache.".
Page 4